Tube flaring tool



y 3, 955 a. E. FRANCK 2,707,511

was FLARING TOOL Filed Jan. 20. 1951 A %g 15 0 E 41 24 I 25 22 M f 21 INVENTOR.

MQAM United States Patent TUBE FLARIN G TOOL George E. Franck, Riverside, Ill., assignor to The Imperial Brass Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Illinois I Application January 20, 1951, Serial No. 206,993

6 Claims. (Cl. 153-79) This invention relates to flaring apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for flaring the end of a tube.

It is a general object of this invention to produce a new and improved tube flaring apparatus.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a tube flaring apparatus incorporating means automatically burnishing the end of a tube after it has been flared.

A further object of the invention is to produce a tube flaring tool having a flaring cone secured to a rod which in turn is rotatably mounted in a hollow threaded shaft threadably engaged by a fitting carrying the tool, and to provide a lost motion connection between the rod and the shaft so that the rod may be rotated without rotating the shaft to burnish the end of a flared tube prior to with drawing the flaring cone therefrom.

Yet another object of the invention is to produce a tube flaring tool of the type described in the preceding paragraphs which includes a yoke for supporting the shaft and provided with means at the end of the arms of the yoke for securing a tube clamping tool thereto.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tube flaring tool embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections along lines 33 and 4-4, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view of the bottom of the tube flaring cone.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, it is herein shown and will hereinafter be described in a preferred embodiment. It is not intended, however, that the invention is to be limited thereby to the specific construction disclosed. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Tube flaring tools are generally known and have been used for some time for flaring the end of a tube, for example, a piece of copper conduit, in order that various couplings to the tube may be made. It has not been uncommon to employ a cone for producing the flare on the end of the tube, the cone being mounted on a shaft of some sort so that it might be advanced against the end of a clamped tube while simultaneously rotated in order to' produce the desired flare.

While it has been recognized that it would be advantageous to burnish the open end of a flared tube after the completion of the flaring operation in order to remove distortions, burrs and the like, such burnishing operations have generally been carried out by hand after the flaring has been completed, or even omitted altogether. The flaring tool of this invention is designed not only to provide means for carrying out the burnishing operation by using the flaring cone employed in producing the flare and while the tube is still firmly clamped, but is so conr 2,707,511 Patented May 3, 1955 structed and arranged that such burnishing takes place automatically as the tool is used.

Generally speaking, this burnishing feature is achieved by mounting the cone in an appropriately designed fitting whereby, it may be advanced against the end of a tube to be flared by rotation of a threaded shaft. Rotation of the shaft is achieved by rotating a handle, rotation in one direction advancing the cone against the end of the tube and rotation in the opposite direction withdrawing the cone from the flared end of the tube. When the rotation of the handle is reversed, however, a lost motion connection is provided so that through almost 'a full revolution of the handle the cone is rotated but the shaft is not. Thus the cone operates to burnish the flared end of the tube while it is held in position thereagainst and the withdrawal of the cone does not occur until the cone has been rotated a distance suflicient properly to burnish the flared end. As the cone itself may carry facets or the like, theamount of rotation during the burnishing step should at least be equal to the width of the faces of the facets. In the particular embodiment shown, the burnishing is continued through approximately one revolution of the cone. Inasmuch as it is advisable and often necessary to withdraw the cone before the tube can be released from the clamp which holds it in flaring position, the burnishing takes place automatically as the cone cannot be withdrawn until after it has been rotated in position against the end of a tube through practically a full turn.

Referring now to the drawings, the tube flaring tool includes a yoke 10 having two arms 11 and 12. The arms are each provided with step portions 13 upon which a tube clamping device 14 may be seated. The tube clamping device is adapted to clamp a tube 15 therein to hold it during the flaring operation. At the apex 16 of the yoke there is provided an internally threaded opening 17. A hollow shaft 18 extends through the opening 17 and is provided with external threads 19 engaging the threads in the opening.

Extending through the hollow of the shaft 18 is a rod 20 which carries a tube flaring cone 21 at its lower end. The cone is secured to the end of the rod through the medium of a central threaded opening 22 in the cone which engages a series of threads 23 provided on the lower end of the rod. The base of the opening 22 is shaped to be complementary to an undercut portion at the lower end of the rod 20. In the embodiment shown, the undercut portion is conical in shape. Thus a wobblefree union is provided between the cone and rod. A pin 24 extends through an annular integral collar portion 25 upstanding from the base of the cone to prevent relative rotation between the rod and cone.

The rod 20 is rotatably supported in the hollow of the shaft 18 and at its upper end is provided with a squared portion 26. In the portion 26 there is provided a threaded opening 27. A handle 29 is provided with a central, square opening 30 into which the upper portion of the rod 20 extends. A screw device 31 is provided with threads engaging the threads in the opening 27 securely to fix the handle to the rod.

From the foregoing it can be seen that the handle, rod and cone are secured to each other to form a unit which is rotatable with rotation of the handle.

Clearly, mere rotation of the handle in the apparatus described while serving to rotate the cone does not serve to move the cone toward or away from a tube clamped in the clamping means inasmuch as no means have as yet been described for rotating the shaft 18. As previously stated, a lost motion connection between'the rod and shaft is provided in order to effect the rotation to achieve the desired flaring operation.

To this end, elements are provided on the shaft 18 and handle to engage each other as the handle is rotated, the elements, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated, comprising a pin 35 secured to the handle and extending downwardly therefrom toward a collar member 36 secured to the upper end of the shaft 18. The collar 36 is provided with an annular flange portion 37 which carries a pin 38' upstanding therefrom. As the handle is rotated, each of the pins 35 and 38 travels in a single circle and thus the handle cannot be rotated relative to the shaft more than 360 without bringing the pins into engagement with each other.

In operation, with a tube clamped in the clamping means 14, the handle may be rotated in a clockwise direction (if right-hand threads be provided on the shaft 18) to bring the pin 35' intocontact with the pin 38. Continned rotation of the handle serves to rotate the rod and cone and also the shaft 18 to advance the cone against the end of a tube in the clamping means. Advancement of the cone is continued until the desired degree of flare has been achieved. The degree of flare may usually be gauged by the eye of the workman although, if desired, suitable scales may be provided on the device for this purpose. When the desired degree of flare has been achieved, it then becomes nccesary to withdraw the cone from the end of the tube. This is accomplished by reversing the rotation of the handle, that is, by rotating the handle in a counterclockwise direction. During the first portion of movement of the handle in the new direction, no rotation of the shaft 18 takes place until the pin 35 has traveled something slightly less than 360 and contacts the other side of the pin 3.8. During this rotation of the handle, the cone is rotated and also maintained in position firmly pressing against the flaring end of the tube and serves thereby toburnish the flared end. When the pins 35. and 38 again contact each other the shaft 18 is. rotated towithdraw the cone from the tube.

It will be noted from the drawings that the flaring cone 21, while having generally the shape of the cone, is provided with a number of facets. Referring now to Figs. 1

and 5, it can be seen that the cone is divided into alternate areas 4.0. which are sections of the. cone, and intermediate areas 41 which are flattened or inwardly dished. The cone so faceted provides the alternate areas 40 which contact the tube tofiare the end thereof, the areas of contact, however, being separated by the inwardly dished. portions 41. The facets in the cone serve to reduce friction between thecone and the end of the tube being flared and thus the cone is, more readily rotatable, even though firmly pressed against the tube. Thus with a simple faceted. cone it ispossible to rotate the, cone against the end of thev tube to; flare soft metal tubes, for example tubes made of copper and the like. Where the tubes being flared are of hard metal, for example steel or hardened copper, the friction between the tube and cone is so great as to prevent the cone being rotated against the tube, and therefore. ithas been customary either to provide a smooth finished cone which is merely forced into the end of a tube and not r0- tated relative thereto or to provide the cone with a numher of rollers spaced around its outer face to decrease its frictional resistance.

In making thecone, thev faces thereof are formed at an angle of 45 relative to the axis of the cone. After the milling operation which mills out the intermediate portions, 41, those portions intersect the axis of the cone at an angle of approximately 43.

The cone is then hardened. This is preferably done by carburizing to a depth of between .015 and .020 inch whereupon the cone is quenched in oil and polished. The cone is then chromium plated to produce a surface of chromium having a depth of about .001 inch and the coating should be free from pits and rough spots.

It has been found, that ordinary steel cones even though they are hardened are often ground away in various areas, particularly where a great number of tubes of the same size are being flared. Regardless of the fact that the tubes flared are often of soft metal, such as copper, roughened spots appear on the cone which may occur either as worn away portions or actually may be pieces of copper which have become embedded in the cone. As a result, such cones rapidly become unusable, or if used produce a sub-standard flare in that the interior of the tube becomes marred during the flaring operation. One of the advantages of the chromium plated cone of this invention is the fact that the cone remains useable substantially for the life of the tool and does not become marred or fouled with embedded metal throughout its life.

A further advantage of the chromium plated face is the fact that it reduces the friction between the cone and the end of the tube being flared. Thus the cone of this invention may be used in a tube flaring tool which rotates the cone against the end of a tube even where the tube is of hardened copper, steel or other hard metal. As previously pointed out, it has heretofore been customary to use either non-rotating cones or cones provided with a series of rotatable rollers in order to flare the ends of hard metal tubes, the latter form of cone construction being, of course, extremely expensive. The chromium plated cone of this invention, however, may be rotated against the end of a hard metal tube to flare the end because of the surprising reduction in friction between the tube and the chromium plated face of the cone.

I claim:

1. A tube flaring tool comprising a yoke having an internally threaded opening at its apex, means on the arms of the yoke for securing a tube clamping device thereto, a hollow shaft extending through the opening and having external threads engaging the threads in the opening, a rod extending through the hollow of the shaft and rotatably supported therein, a tube flaring device secured to one end of the rod, means secured to the other end of the rod for rotating the same, and a lost motion connection between said means and the shaft, said lost motion connection including a first part connected to said means and' a second part connected to the shaft whereby rotation of the rod rotates the flaring device and carries said first part into engagement with the second part to rotate the shaft to advance the flaring device into rotating contact with the end of the tube to flare the same, and whereby the first portion of reverse rotation of said rod rotates the flaring device and separates said parts to permit the shaft to remain stationary until continued reverse rotation of the rod carries said first part again into engagement with the second part to rotate the shaft to retract the flaring device.

2. A tube flaring tool comprising a fitting having an internally threaded opening, a hollow shaft extending through the opening and having external threads engaging the threads in the opening, a rod extending through the hollow of the shaft and rotatably supported therein, a tube flaring device secured to one end of the rod, means secured to the other end of the rod for rotating the same, and a lost motion connection between said means and the shaft whereby rotation of saidmeans. rotates the. tube flaring device and the shaft to advance. said devicev into rotating contact with the end of the tube to flare the same, and whereby the first portion of reverse rotation of said rotating means r0,-

- tates said device, with the shaft remaining stationary,

to burnish the flared end of the tube and further continued reverse rotation of said rotating means causes said connection again to rotate the shaft with the rod to retract said device from the. flared end of the tube.

3. In a tube flaring tool, a yoke having an internally threaded opening at its apex; a hollow shaft extending through the opening. and having external threads engaging the threads in the opening; a flaring. and burnishing. device, including: a rod extending through the. hollow of the shaft and rotatably supported therein, a

tube flaring cone on one end of said rod and means on the other end of said rod for rotating the same; and a lost motion connection between said device and said shaft including a first part carried by said device for rotation therewith and a second part carried by said shaft whereby rotation of said device rotates the flaring cone and carries said first part into engagement with said second part to rotate said shaft to advance the flaring cone into rotating contact with the end of a tube to be flared and whereby the first portion of reverse rotation of said flaring device rotates the flaring cone and separates said parts to permit said shaft to remain stationary until continued reverse rotation of said flaring device carries said first part again into engagement with said second part to rotate said shaft to retract the flaring cone.

4. In a tube flaring tool, a yoke having an internally threaded opening at its apex; a hollow shaft extending through the opening and having external threads engaging the threads in the opening; a flaring and burnishing device including a rod extending through the hollow of the shaft and rotatably supported therein, a tube flaring cone on one end of said rod and means on the other end of said rod for rotating the same; and a lost motion connection between said device and said shaft including a first pin carried by said device for rotation therewith and a second pin carried by said shaft whereby rotation of said device rotates the flaring cone and carries said first pin into engagement with said second pin to rotate said shaft to advance the flaring cone into rotating contact with the end of a tube to be flared and whereby the first portion of reverse rotation of said flaring device rotates the flaring cone and separates said pins to permit said shaft to remain stationary until continued reverse rotation of said flaring device carries said first pin again into engagement with said second pin to rotate said shaft to retract the flaring cone.

5. In a tube flaring tool, a yoke having an internally threaded opening at its apex, a hollow shaft extending through the opening and having external threads engaging the threads in the opening, rotatable means including a rod element extending through the hollow of said shaft and rotatably supported therein and a handle element secured to one end of said rod element for rotating the same, a tube flaring cone secured to the other end of said rod element, and a lost motion connection between said rotatable means and said shaft including a first part connected to one of the elements of said rotatable means and a second part connected to said shaft whereby rota tion of said means rotates said flaring cone and carries said first part into engagement with said second part to rotate said shaft to advance the flaring cone into rotating contact with the end of a tube to be flared and whereby the first portion of reverse rotation of said means rotates said flaring cone and separates said parts to permit said shaft to remain stationary until continued reverse rotation of said rotatable means carries said first part again into engagement with said second part to rotate said shaft to retract said flaring cone.

6. In a tube flaring tool, a yoke having an internally threaded opening at its apex, a hollow shaft extending through the opening and having external threads engaging the threads in the opening, rotatable means including a rod element extending through the hollow of said shaft and rotatably supported therein and a handle element secured to one end of said rod element for rotating the same, a tube flaring cone secured to the other end of said rod element, and a lost motion connection between said rotatable means and said shaft including a first pin connected to one of the elements of said rotatable means and a second pin connected to said shaft whereby rotation of said means rotates said flaring cone and carries said first pin into engagement with said second pin to rotate said shaft to advance the flaring cone into rotating contact with the end of a tube to be flared and whereby the first portion of reverse rotation of said means rotates said flaring cone and separates said pins to permit said shaft to remain stationary until continued reverse rotation of said rotatable means carries said first pin again into engagement with said second pin to rotate said shaft to retract said flaring cone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,131,225 Farkell Mar. 9, 1915 1,680,798 Maupin Aug. 14, 1928 1,752,508 Schultis Apr. 1, 1930 1,795,358 Arndt Mar. 10, 1931 1,881,867 Nelson Oct. 11, 1932 1,934,741 Schulein Nov. 14, 1933 1,950,154 Rosenberg Mar. 6, 1934 1,966,130 Norton July 10, 1934 1,985,454 McCabe Dec. 25, 1934 2,048,276 Marlies July 21, 1936 2,120,029 Lilleberg June 7, 1938 2,277,410 Neukirch Mar. 24, 1942 2,442,224 Vaill May 25, 1948 2,526,210 Edelmann Oct. 17, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,287 Great Britain June 25, 1894 OTHER REFERENCES Gugielmo Plate No. CLIX, vol. 11, Part 2, Tavole, 132267 anno 1880 (Italy), 1 sheet drawing, 6 pages specification, 2nd Series, vol. 11, No. 572, pp. 804-809, June 30, 1880.

Pages 85, 86 and 87 of the March 10, 1949 issue of the American Machinist. 

